Gabriel cast a spell as many unlit torches lining the passageway sparked to life. Alphonse walked over to the door and peered in. A skeleton was resting on pieces of straw that lined the floor in one section of the room, the other side of the room was a bucket. The faeces had long decayed as they filled the bucket to the brim. Scratches lined the wall in the hundreds. Were they scratching the days into the wall? Alphonse thought. He then moved to another room and looked in, and it was the same scene in each room after that. Some skeletons were sitting against the wall, while others were curled up into a ball. Alphonse shook his head at the scene. Being starved to death was a horrible way to die. He couldn't imagine what would happen to they put him if him into that state.

“I wonder what they did to deserve this fate?” Tariq said as he took his eyes away from one of the celled rooms.

“Whatever it was, I don't feel like finding out.” Felicia trembled as the group continued to walk down the passage. They soon made it to a large spiral staircase. Markus lifted his shield and carried it down sideways, as it was too large to fit normally. Strange symbols covered the walls as they descended further down. Alphonse dragged his fingers along the markings, feeling a slight bump at the touch. After going down the stairs for a while, he met a large corridor with two passages. They chose one and kept on walking, but they were getting a strange feeling.

“Is this a maze?” Haydon said.

“It feels like it…” Alphonse and the others were met with a decision as they arrived at two passageways once more, go one way, or go the other. Haydon walked forwards and crouched down at one passageway. He stayed there for a few minutes before doing the same to the other.

“I can’t feel anything.” Haydon said, surprise written across his face.

Lucus placed his hand against his chin as he stood in thought. “Well, I guess it doesn’t matter then, does it.” Lucus shook his head and was about to decide when Alphonse stood forward. “I think we should go down this one.” Alphonse stepped in front of the left passage. The group looked at each other before nodding their heads.

“Well, we have to choose one of them, anyway.” Markus shrugged his shoulders as he continued forwards.

Voices were nipping at Alphonse’s ears as they were walking down the hall. I’m so hungry… His arms still clutched around his stomach. Then, the hall opened up into a dead end room.

They all entered, their eyes wandering around the bland room. Then, the brick wall behind the ground to a close, it happened faster than anyone could react. Haydon rushed towards the wall that had just closed as an awful premonition hit him. “Someone blow the fucking wall open!” At his urgent words, Lucus and Markus exploded forwards as they released their attacks simultaneously. The wall exploded, but it was nothing but never ending brick, rock and dirt. It’s as if the room entirely consumed them. Then, a door opened up on the other side of the room.

“What is going on!” Felecia screamed. Her eyes looked uneasy as they bobbed about in different directions. Scared of anything popping out of the walls.

“Hey… what is that?” Everyone's eyes shot forwards at the words, their hands jolting in front of them readying their weapons. Alphonse looked forwards, into the room that had just opened up. An old man was leaning up against the wall, his shackled arms were resting upon his knees. His hair was incredibly long, not having been cut for decades, let alone washed. The only clothes on his back were completely torn and looked like it had long rotted away.

“Lst sols, heh?” His hoarse voice rang forwards, it was hard to understand if he was talking another language or if he had trouble speaking entirely. He moved his tongue around in his mouth before speaking again.

“Ahem… Lost souls heh?” The old man looked like he was learning how to talk for the first time. “Ah, you best forgive me, young’uns. It has been… quite a while since I have used this old tongue of mine, you see.” He stuck his tongue out from his wrinkled mouth, someone had cut it in half. Not with a sharp blade, either. Seeing Felecia recoil back, the old man flashed a toothless grin as his lungs speckled with laughter. He enthusiastically slapped his thighs. “Excuse me for my impertinence, young lady.” His laughter only continued with his added words.

“What is this place?” Alphonse said. He didn’t know what else to say. They were all remaining vigilant, their thoughts were still filled with the appearance of the woman that had transformed. They wouldn’t risk a surprise attack.

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“Ah well, you see it’s a rather long story…” the old man answered, his eyes strangely lingering on Alphonse.

Alphonse looked around and added. “It looks like we have time.”

The man cackled to himself as a young vigour took over him. “Yes, you are right! Absolutely correct, so much time!” He coughed and slowly stopped his laugh and continued. “Well, I guess I better start from the beginning, shouldn't I? Strange people arrived here in a huge flying fortress. I was amazed at such a marvel, but alas, that marvel didn’t last long.”

The old man motioned towards his mouth, as if wanting something. Lucus reached forwards and dropped a container of water in front of him. He opened the cap and gulped down all the contents before dropping it on the floor. “With their strange powers, they began devouring the planet’s resources. I don’t know how they did it… but soon our planet died, we fought back, saved some of the land we did. We even scared them off... I didn’t get so lucky.” The old man raised up the shackles with a laugh, gesturing the answer.

Alphonse watched as the group looked at eachother, an awful premonition gripped their hearts. "Were these people wearing golden pauldrons with a navy uniform?” Gabriel said. His eyes were serious as he looked closely at the old man.

“Oh yes. Shiny gold, strong too… The little green men were weak, though.” The old man lifted his shackled hand as his finger pointed at the young group’s green uniforms.

“Wait… Are we talking about the Great Migrators?” Alphonse said. Them being forced to go on these missions. Was it the systems doing, after all? Were the Great Migrators behind it? Maybe the system and the Great Migrators were working together? Why do they need other planets' resources? Only more questions needed answered..

“The Great Migrators is it? The people who destroyed my home. Killed my wife. Killed my child.” The old man slowly stood up. His voice became louder and louder. Everyone gripped their weapons, ready for an attack. His eyes were glued to Alphonse, his mouth turned into a smile. “Gluttony won’t stand back as other people do his job, will he… Alphonse...” As the words transmitted into his mind, the old man vanished, as if he was never there. The words made Alphonse nauseous. His mind was spinning.

Gluttony… Alphonse kept on repeating the name. In his trance-like state he didn’t even realise that the door behind them opened again. A new no… old acquaintance stumbled into the room.

“It’s you!” A familiar voice jolted Alphonse awake from his thoughts. As he turned his head in the voices' direction, his body trembled at the face he clearly remembered. Alphonse rushed forwards and grabbed hold of his collar, before he could even talk a hammer smashed into the side of his arm. Alphonse smashed into the wall, his arm laying limply to the side.

“Alphonse!” Felecia and the others rushed forwards as they stood in between them, protecting the injured young man.

Blood dripped from his head, his vision blurred as voices entered his mind.

***

“Alphonse, when are you going to be strong? You promised me you would protect little Tehya…” A pair of gentle hands clasped around his face. The woman’s sweet voice transmitted into his ears.

“You try your hardest to make friends, to rely on others. It’s hard, isn’t it, Alphonse? You tried so hard to make friends, but they still died, didn’t they? You didn’t have the strength to properly protect them…” Alphonse cradled the woman’s hands, never wanting to let go… never again…

“You need to do anything it takes to get back to Tehya. Do you understand Alphonse?” The woman had tears in her eyes as she caressed his cheek.

“I understand mother…” Alphonse smiled, his eyes filled with malice.

The strange sound of laughter… and eating, filled the void of nothingness. No one could hear it. Not even Alphonse.

***

Alphonse stumbled forwards. “It was your fault that Isobelle died.” Alphonse muttered.

The person with the hammer was about to move forwards but Marius stopped him, his ice fingers rattling off of each other. “Let him come closer. I want to hear what the murderer has to say.”

Alphonse walked up to him. “It was your fault that she died.”

“Tchh, I can’t hear you.” The ice powered young man leaned in closer, trying to understand what he was saying.

“I said.” Alphonse whispered into his ear. “I’m going to kill you.” Alphonse’s teeth, wrapped in a shadow, sunk into the soft flesh of the young man's neck. No-one could react in time. Before their senses had come to them, Alphonse had bitten straight through the neck of Marius. The Class A recruit’s head fell onto the ground in a puddle of his own blood.

< Conditions met >

< Class rewarded >